2020 - 2020 Vision

The Chairs’ Welcome

We are very excited to welcome you to the 16th annual KU Composition Conference Digital Version. We shifted our conference online this year, to the Research Commons, due to Covid-19. It just goes to show that no matter how much vision we have, we can’t always see what is coming. This is certainly one of those times, which makes our conference theme even more relevant.

Our theme this year is “2020 Vision,” and it is open to many interpretations. Clarity of vision comes to mind: the act of writing helps us understand ourselves and our experiences. Writing through a problem can bring clarity too. In hindsight, we can often see things anew.

As 2020 is an election year, it is important to wrestle with current political and social issues as candidates hash out their positions and we make decisions on how we will vote. The start of a new decade is also upon us. The year 2020 can be a time of reflection, a time to look back on where we have been and where we are going, to think about how we might be part of shaping the new decade before us.

When we think of “2020 Vision,” we also think about the physical act of seeing clearly. Yet many in our community have vision impairments that keep them from enjoying the ease of vision that we take for granted. This conference is also an opportunity to learn about and reflect on what we can do as a community to remove obstacles and provide the accommodations that help us all see clearly, in 2020 and beyond.

Explore the work of our student writers and their unique interpretations of “2020 Vision.” We congratulate them all for being a part of this digital conference. They join other students from past conferences whose work has been downloaded by people not just at Kutztown University, but also from many other universities and from people across the world, from the United Kingdom, to the Philippines, to China. Last year alone, there were 452 downloads. These KUCC 2020 writers join the writers from our past conferences in this wonderful, unique space. The world is reading.

On behalf of the KUCC Planning Committee,
Amy Lynch-Biniek, Kathleen Hartman, Cory Hutchenson, and Sandra Leonard, Co-chairs

Special Thanks to:
• Andrea Buno, English Department Secretary
• Andy Vogel, English Department Chair
• David Beougher, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Sue Czerny, Archives and Digital Initiatives Librarian
• Bethsaida Torres, who designed our wonderful conference logo and poster.
KUCC Planning Committee
• Kurt Cavender
• Kristina Fennelly
• Kathleen Hartman
• Cory Hutchenson
• Sandra Leonard
• Amy Lynch-Biniek
• Kevin Mahoney
• Patty Pytleski